


Red Rose

by Aerys_Krystie



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Good Alpha Derek Hale, Healing, Inner Demons, M/M, Memories, Pack Bonding, Roses, Valentine's Day, Werewolf Jackson Whittemore, minor mental health issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29417244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerys_Krystie/pseuds/Aerys_Krystie
Summary: As alpha, Derek knows he needs to deal with his demons alone. As a beta, maybe he doesn’t have to be completely alone for it.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Jackson Whittemore, Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes
Comments: 5
Kudos: 19





	Red Rose

**~Red Rose~**

**By:** Aerys Krystie.

 **Theme:** AU – post Season 2.

 **Plot:** As alpha, Derek knows he needs to deal with his demons alone. As a beta, maybe he doesn’t have to be completely alone for it.

 **Warnings:** Slash, slight language, OOC, slight mental health issues.

 **Disclaimer:** Everything of and referring to _Teen Wolf_ is not mine. This is a fan-made, non-profit story. Please support the official release.

* * *

_“What should I do if it becomes too much?”_

_“You’ll find a way to save yourself.”_

_“I suppose I can’t expect you to save me every time.”_

Those words had hurt far more than they should have. As an alpha, it was his sworn duty to protect those he turned. He was their mentor, their father. He was the one they should turn to when they had a problem about anything, except his training. They could complain all they wanted with that, but it wasn’t going to change a thing. He needed them ready to defend themselves and those they love from any threat that might appear.

As he watched his pack pair off with their partners, Derek Hale turned from them. He had his uncle waiting for him back at the loft, which was something he was looking forward to. That was a lie, but no one needed to know that. His uncle often kept to himself, leaving Derek to read any of the books that survived the fire and go through the laptop, which, after the kanima experience, Derek wasn’t too keen on. He didn’t need to open another animation and be scarred.

Walking into the loft, Derek could almost see Jackson sitting on the sofa, eating an apple, book in his hand or the laptop on his legs. After what happened with the kanima, Jackson had thrown himself into all of the available information Derek had, wanting to read everything. He had spent two months with the pack, before his parents took him to England. He would always glance up and smile at Derek and then go back to whatever he was reading. It was almost…warm and human.

Jackson had been full of questions, wanting to know if Derek had come across some of things he had read about. His curiosity was as bad as Stiles’, but Derek couldn’t fault either of them. Neither of them had come across the supernatural before and he was glad they were asking questions. That and the way Jackson actually listened to him, taking in everything he said, eyes bright with an almost innocent twinkle in them made Derek feel like he hadn’t failed entirely.

So when Jackson told him a month later that he was having nightmares, Derek tried to help him through them. Isaac had also suffered nightmares, mostly remedied by Derek staying with him until he fell asleep, sometimes having to spend the night in the bed with the beta. He was trying to help his pack as much as possible, especially those that had a troubled past following them. That was the one thing Derek could connect with them on.

When it came to Jackson, Derek wasn’t sure what was expected of him. Jackson had just mentioned it and seemed surprised that he had. The way he stared at Derek, as though trying to gage if his alpha had heard him admit to having nightmares, it stayed with Derek. The blue eyes wide and the heart hammering in the chest. Before Derek could say anything, Jackson had apologized and moved onto doppelganger questions. Derek wanted to ask him about it, but Jackson refused to look at him. In the end, he had hugged Jackson and the tension finally broke.

_“I didn’t mean to say that.”_

_“We all have demons. You don’t have to fight them alone. You have a pack.”_

_“What if I become my demons again?”_

Derek didn’t have an answer for that. None of them were certain if Jackson could become the kanima again, if that loophole was still open for him. None of them had any answers and Derek knew that was what angered him the most. He needed to say something to put Jackson at ease and words were failing him entirely. Instead, he tightened his arms around Jackson, hoping it would convey something akin to hope and acceptance. Jackson had sighed against his throat.

Maybe that was the exact thing Jackson expected to happen. There were no words to take away nightmares, except being told that they have a pack to help them through any and all hardships. It took a few weeks for the others to warm up to Jackson, who shied away from them at first. That had been interesting. The way he tried not to touch them during training, the way he purposely held back on his strength out of fear of hurting someone, using his exceptional speed to his advantage most of the time.

Perhaps the strangest part of the summer had been trying to get Jackson to come out of a shell. Jackson Whittemore, the most arrogant of them all barely made eye contact with any of them, hugging himself, wearing long sleeves despite the heat. He let Isaac beat him down every time they sparred, barely putting up any defense, refusing to raise a hand against the wolf. The fact that Jackson was so shy around them was strange. He listened to everything everyone said, had clearly lied when questioned about his time as the kanima and was scared in a completely different way.

No longer was he scared that he was going to die. Jackson was now terrified that he would do something to hurt someone again. He tried to keep to himself, tried to stay just outside of the pack, but Erica kept dragging him back in. After a few times, Boyd and Isaac started dragging him in as well, despite how uncomfortable Jackson was with the touching. The first time one of them tried to scent him had him practically screaming, falling away from them and staring, like he couldn’t believe they’d want to take in his scent. He disappeared for four days after that and Derek finally tracked him down, moving between his home and the forest behind it.

_“You don’t need to fear us.”_

_“I don’t fear you or the pack. I fear them getting attached to me and me letting them down.”_

_“Then don’t let us down.”_

Jackson had returned to the loft. With Derek behind him, he allowed the others to scent him. Jackson turned his head from them, eyes closed as their scents mixed together. Derek was almost certain he understood what the problem was. Jackson never had a proper sense of family. He never understood what it meant to love someone and be loved in return. The love would take some time to build up within the pack, especially after the hell Jackson gave them. The beginnings were already there.

Once they were done, Derek had indicated for them to leave the loft. He needed a few moments alone with Jackson. There was a lot that needed explaining. He released Jackson from his hold and the beta stumbled forward, head lowered and arms around his abdomen. Derek had caught the scent of tears and tilted his head, figuring that Jackson was scared. He inhaled deeply and caught the sadness under the fear, wondering how he had missed that before. There was nothing in the scents of the pack that should have upset him.

Moving in front of Jackson, he cupped his cheek and Jackson stared up at him. Something he never had a proper net of people to pick him up after he fell. Jackson could never tell his parents what happened. He couldn’t tell anyone, except the pack and that would admitting he was a monster. That first month had been a trial for Jackson and Derek honestly expected him to run away, hide away and drown in his demons.

_“I’m sorry.”_

_“…For what?”_

_“I don’t deserve it.”_

The words had been completely honest. Jackson truly believed he didn’t deserve his second…technically, third chance at life. Derek knew Jackson needed to deal with the depression that would come from everything he was and had done. Derek also knew that Jackson would probably deal with it in a different way from him; had been dealing with it in a different way. Derek never would have shied away from others, but Jackson felt it was the best way to not hurt others. Maybe he was right. That also meant that Jackson would never feel the love of others and that was something Derek needed to change. He had no idea how to do that, though.

Unsure if it was the right method, Derek had treated Jackson like he was a beta from the time of the bite. He got impatient when Jackson was beaten down and disciplined him with a beatdown from his alpha. Jackson never complained. He kept his mouth shut and just accepted that it was his fate, that he deserved the pain and more for the pain he had caused others. He always got up, regardless of how powerful the attack against him was. Only when his body was physically incapable of getting back up would he stay down.

The more Derek beat him down and the more he got back up, Derek realized that Jackson was actually helping him. He was able to work out most of his anger, which he felt spike whenever Jackson got up and gave him a determined glare, like he was challenging Derek to do his worst. As much as he wished he could say he didn’t rise to those challenges, Derek did, every single time. He got more and more brutal with Jackson, who still refused to complain. After three weeks of letting his anger rule him, Derek found that he was feeling far more drained than Jackson looked.

The last time he let his anger take over, he had slammed Jackson down on the ground. He was full alpha, roaring at his beta. Jackson raised his eyes, gazing at Derek for a moment and then tilted his head back. Derek pulled back his wolf and stared at what Jackson was offering him. As though he somehow knew that Derek was at the end of his anger, he offered his throat. Closing his eyes, Derek got control of his instinct and his wolf, knowing that that shouldn’t be the way for Jackson to submit to him. It shouldn’t be after a brutal sparring session.

_“Not like this.”_

_“Okay…”_

All Derek heard in that one word answer was, ‘I’m not good enough for the pack. I understand.’ Jackson had wriggled out from under him and Derek sat back on his knees, staring at where Jackson had been. How could he fix that? He could tell him that it had only been a month. The others were still a little wary of him, a little worried that something else might go wrong. He remembered standing and wrapping his arms around Jackson, whispering, ‘ _Ești iubit._ ’ It was the one thing he remembered of his grandmother, those words and nothing else.

Jackson had pulled back from him, searching his eyes for a long while, trying to find the lies in him. Instead of asking what the words meant, Jackson nodded and stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Derek’s waist. Derek felt a smile tug at his lips, knowing that he had gotten Jackson to touch someone. That was the first crack in his shell and Derek would continue to chip at it until it fell away entirely. Jackson needed to learn that wolves enjoyed touching each other, mixing their scents, strengthening their bonds. It lasted only a few seconds, before Jackson pulled away from entirely and mumbled some excuse to go home.

After that day, Jackson would ask his questions. He would plant himself on the sofa, going through the books and the laptop. He applied himself more to training, watching the others, picking up their weaknesses. He made Erica bleed, which made Derek proud. Isaac and Boyd still had a hard time landing a hit on her, which she enjoyed lording over them. When she bled for Jackson, her anger was almost alive, which Jackson used to his advantage and had her submitting to him in only a few minutes. He still refused to raise a hand against Isaac, which often left Derek to spar with Isaac as he didn’t trust his uncle around the boy.

_“Why do you answer my questions?”_

_“You need to learn.”_

Jackson had smiled at him in a strange way, as though he was genuinely amused and affection directed towards Derek. The weirder part was that Derek had returned the smile, which had Jackson laughing and snapping a picture of him, as proof that he knew what a smile was. Derek had tried to tackle him and he would maintain that he let Jackson evade his hands, until he went for the door to the loft and it opened, Isaac crying out when Jackson ran into him, the pair crashing to the floor in a bizarre tangle of limbs.

All mirth fell from Jackson as he got off Isaac, apologizing and checking him. Derek tried to tell Jackson that Isaac was fine and to use his nose. Jackson had scented the air and immediately went back to making sure everything was all right. Derek stared at Isaac, raising an eyebrow. Isaac looked at him and grinned, finally telling Derek that night when Jackson left that he liked how attentive Jackson was of him. Derek couldn’t argue with that.

That night, Derek followed Isaac to Jackson’s place. He watched as the werewolf snuck up to the front window of the bedroom and knocked on it. He stayed back, not really wanting either to be fully aware of his presence, as he climbed up a tree across the street and watched them through the window. He could hear their conversation with Isaac telling Jackson to forgive himself for what he did. After all, if he hadn’t murdered Isaac’s father it was highly likely that Isaac would’ve done it, which made Jackson flinch. Derek watched as Jackson hesitantly accepted the hug from Isaac, feeling his chest swell with pride at how mature they could be, when it was needed.

After that, Jackson didn’t seem as tense he usually was around the pack. He was finally showing that teenage side of himself, smiling and enjoying time with the others. More than once, he passed out in the loft after a long day of training. He always woke whenever Derek tried to place a blanket over him, wanting him comfortable, and left very quickly with an apology for sleeping. Derek assumed he still had an issue with being shown affection. He didn’t know much about Jackson’s relationship with Lydia, but neither seemed very affectionate while it ran its course.

_“Stay the night.”_

_“I can’t.”_

_“Why?”_

Jackson had lowered his head and stepped away from Derek, fear spiking in him, something that hadn’t happened in the last few weeks. It was then that Jackson told him he needed to pack as he was going to England. Derek tried to act as though that news hadn’t ripped his heart from his chest. One of his pups was leaving, not only the pack, the State and the country, but the entire continent. He could handle it if Jackson was just going to Canada, at least he could visit.

So Derek spent as much time as possible teaching Jackson everything he needed to learn in order to survive a new pack. The only time that Jackson spent the night was after training, if it went through to the night and they spent the next few hours stargazing. Derek pointed out the constellations he knew, especially Lupus, the first one that Derek had learned from his mother. Jackson had frowned up at the sky, trying to follow Derek’s finger from his position, before he sighed and laid atop Derek, glaring up at the sky. Laying like that, Jackson was finally able to see the constellation. Jackson nodded and rolled off Derek, going back to the stars.

The conversations they had were surprisingly raw. Derek revealed what he did during the fire that claimed his family. Jackson had nodded and then hugged him tightly. Derek wasn’t sure if he wanted that, but somehow knew he needed it. Jackson finally told him what he already knew – he had the memories of being the kanima. The two acts he did as the kanima that cut him deep was killing Isaac’s father and threatening Scott’s mother. Derek wiped the tears from Jackson’s cheek and embraced him tightly. He may have wanted Jackson to die because of the bite, but he never would’ve wished for him to become the kanima and live with that knowledge.

_“Thank you.”_

_“What was I meant to do, let you suffer in silence forever?”_

_“I’ll have to in England…”_

Derek had tightened his hold on Jackson, wishing he could meld with him and go with him to England. He had no idea what the wolves were like in England. He had no idea how they would treat a blue-eyed wolf and he didn’t need Jackson’s parents coming back to Beacon Hills sans him, because he was killed. He fought back the guilt he felt at those eyes and the guilt that was creeping in because Jackson couldn’t lean on his alpha, but would need to find a new one to lean on.

Jackson pulled back, eyes lowered for a moment. He looked up and offered a small smile, which Derek tried to return. In a week, Jackson would leave them. The pack, minus Peter, was walking around like they were about to attend a funeral. Derek had no idea what to say to him. He wanted to say something that Jackson could remember if times got bad in England. His mind was blank as he stared into the blue eyes of the beta and realized there was nothing there because he had nothing to offer.

What could he offer Jackson that couldn’t be found somewhere else? He had sighed when Jackson turned from him and laid down, gazing up at the stars. He had asked about Lupus and Derek looked up, seeing that he was pointing out the right constellation. They fell asleep quickly after that, deciding that it had been a very emotional day for them.

When Derek woke, he was holding Jackson to him, both of them using his arm as a pillow. As much as he didn’t want to, Derek knew that Jackson had more packing. He was dragging his feet with it, as though if he didn’t have everything packed away, his parents would let him stay. Derek didn’t understand why they would take him away during his last year of high school. Sure, he died…twice. That was completely normal…ish. It didn’t matter that he was responsible for at least five deaths. He was a werewolf, like he was meant to be and he should remain in his pack.

Jackson had whined so softly, pushing his back to Derek’s chest, pulling his arm over his body like a blanket. As the early morning sun brushed over them, peering through the trees, the soft breeze making the shadow dance over them, Derek committed every detail of Jackson’s sleeping face to memory in that moment. Everything was perfect, the perfect memory.

_“You’re still a creeper.”_

_“That doesn’t count as complaining if you’re smiling.”_

Jackson had pushed Derek onto his back, straddling his waist. He leaned down, pressing his nose to hollow between the clavicles and inhaled deeply. He had gently whispered _alpha_ and Derek knew Jackson heard his heartrate increase, could smell the pride and love of hearing Jackson finally say it. Of course, it was a week before he left the continent and Derek figured it would have happened then.

_“How can you save me, being so far away?”_

_“If you find the answer, please tell me.”_

Derek had walked Jackson home, watching him enter the house. He wasn’t meant to feel anything except contempt for the beta. How had he weaseled his way into his heart? Derek knew how. That Jackson wasn’t the same one he bit. That one was new, gentle, curious and vulnerable, like all new pups were. He trusted Derek to lead him down the right path and Derek wanted to continue with that. He wanted to keep Jackson where he would be safe, which was by Derek’s side.

The next week moved by so quickly that Derek felt it completely unfair. Two nights before he left, he passed out in the loft again, curled around Stiles, surprisingly. Both looked so peaceful that Derek left them alone, after dropping a blanket over them. Jackson had woken, of course, but he didn’t want to risk waking Stiles and had simply smiled and fallen asleep again. He was gone in the morning.

The night before he left, no one saw him. Derek went to his house and crouched outside the window, watching as Jackson paced his bare room, eyes switching between the slits of the kanima and the blue of the werewolf. He was having a meltdown and Derek knew that the distance would break the bonds he had with the pack, which would be painful for him. That was the one thing he hadn’t mentioned. There was no way to prepare him for the pain that came from that.

Jackson had spun around when the window opened, unable to look at his alpha. Derek could taste the fear Jackson was feeling at leaving them. In two months, he had been accepted into the pack. Even Boyd was warming up to him. Derek stayed where he was, just inside the window and watched. He knew Jackson didn’t want to leave, but he had never heard Jackson say that.

_“I can’t.”_

_“I know.”_

_“I’m sorry.”_

_“I know.”_

Derek had left shortly after that. Neither of them would get what they wanted and there was point prolonging the pain from the pair of them. He returned to the loft, going to his bathroom. He stripped and stepped under the shower, letting his tears fall. Maybe they just weren’t meant to save each other and that was something he needed to deal with.

That had been two years ago. Despite losing his alpha status, there was still a bond he had with Jackson, even over the thousands of miles that separated them. Jackson texted him every week, giving him little updates about the pack he was running with him in London. He texted Stiles and Isaac daily. Derek had to wait for Friday in order to get anything from Jackson, though he spent a lot of time around Stiles and Isaac, reading the messages they sent him and Jackson’s replies.

Everything seemed normal. There was a growing heaviness in Derek’s stomach as he waited for Jackson’s weekly update to him. He had texted with Isaac earlier in the day. He was never late with his texts to Derek. The text always came in at seven in the evening, usually a novel length text, telling him everything that happened, despite probably knowing that Derek was reading the texts from the others. He knew everything that was happening in Jackson’s London life.

_I have an answer for saving you, despite being so far away._

Derek frowned at the text. It was three minutes late and he wasted no time in sending, _What is it?_ He had almost forgotten about that conversation. Now that it was brought back to the front of his mind, he was damn curious about the answer. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm his nerves. Jackson never had a conversation with him over texts. He frowned and sniffed again, almost certain he had caught Jackson’s scent.

_Open the door, dumbass._

Derek left his bedroom and went to the loft door, frowning at the empty hall. He looked down and blinked at the red rose that was on the floor. As far as he knew, Valentine’s Day was a few months ago. He picked it up and stepped back into the loft. He closed the door and turned around, eyes widening when he saw Jackson on the sofa, a book in his hand, munching on an apple.

“This is your answer?”

“You saved me. I think it’s time I saved you from your demons.”

“With a rose?”

Derek frowned as his phone chimed and he saw a new message from Jackson. It was a link to a video and he narrowed his eyes, opening it. He blinked at the music video, especially as it started with, ‘On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?’ Pausing the video, Derek laughed and shook his head at the corniness of what was happening.

Jackson placed the book and apple on the coffee table. “You might not be an alpha anymore, but you’ll always be _my_ alpha, Derek,” he said softly, eyes holding Derek’s. “And yes, I would offer my throat to the wolf with the red rose. If he’ll offer me his mouth.”

Derek raised an eyebrow and moved to stand in front of Jackson. He smiled and Jackson got a slight blush to his cheeks, but continued to stand his ground. Derek dropped his head, pressing his lips to Jackson’s, feeling them curve up into a smile the moment before he returned the kiss. Derek hadn’t noticed the slight scent of anxiety, but with it gone, Jackson relaxed, he let himself go in that moment. He opened his mouth to Jackson’s seeking tongue and moaned quietly as he tasted the apple on the tongue and _Jackson_ under it.

Pulling back, Derek gazed at Jackson. “You still haven’t answered how a red rose will save me from my demons.”

Jackson took Derek’s free hand and pulled him into the bedroom. “Loneliness has always been your demon, Derek.” He pushed Derek onto the bed and straddled his waist, pressing his nose to the hollow between the clavicles. “Alpha.”

Derek smiled as Jackson looked up. He ran the rose down the bridge of Jackson’s nose. “Mate.”

Jackson returned the smile and stretched out on top of Derek, kicking off his shoes. He tucked his head under Derek’s chin, who got the feeling that jetlag was catching up with him. Before he was fully asleep, Derek gently rolled him over and turned off the lights, while Jackson stripped down to his underwear without getting off the bed. Derek returned to his bedroom and stripped as well, sliding under the covers and pulling Jackson to him. He knew that when he woke up, he wouldn’t be lonely. He would have his mate in his arms and they could continue to heal each other and themselves.

* * *

End.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Hope y'all enjoyed it! Also hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Valentine's Day! (My bestie and me are gonna chill out and watch NHL!)
> 
> Until the next one!
> 
> Peace.  
> Auska.


End file.
